Cable connection for covering spliced joints.



No. 701,210. Patented 'May 27, |902.

cgLuKE.

CABLE CONNECTION FUR COVERING SPLIGED JOINTS.

(Application mea Mm. 10, 1902.1

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LUKE, OF MILFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEI/V HAVENNOVELTY MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEIV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

CABLE CONNECTION FOR COVERING SPLICED JOINTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,210, dated May 27,1902.

Application filed March 10,1902. Serial No. 97,533.

To all whom it may con/cern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES LUKE, a cirizenof the United States,residing at Milford, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut,

have invented an Improvement in Cable Connections to Cover1 SplicedJoints, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on thedrawings representing ro like parts.

This invention is intended as an improvement on the connection shown'anddescribed in application, Serial No. 89,942, led January 16, 1902. Inthat application the wires I5 of the cable adapted for use withtelephones and low-tension currents are incased in a sheath supposed tobe a piece of lead pipe, and the pipe is clamped at its ends between theexterior and interior of coupling parts.

zo Herein I have dispensed with the pipe-clamping means and haveconnected screw-threaded hubs to the exterior of the pipes by means ofsolder, thus precluding the passage of water and moisture into thesleeve between the hubs z5 and the pipe.

The sleeve has tightly connected with it at one end by solder orotherwise a threaded collar, and at its opposite end the sleeve hassecured to it lirmly, preferably by solder, a

3o second collar having an inturned ange that sustains a packing-ring.The inner edge of the packing-ring is acted upon by an external flangeof one of the hubs secured to the pipe. A running-nut on one of the hubs3 5 causes the packing referred to be clamped sufficiently tight to makea water and moisture tight joint.

Figure l, in section, shows my novel joint and covering for electriccables. Fig. 2 is a 4o detail showing the inner side of one of the hubsdetached, chiefly to illustrate how the solder will cross the hubbetween its inner surface and the exterior of the pipe at the underside; and Fig. 3 is a plan view look- 4 5 ing upon the pipe with itssurrounding sleeve, showing the inclined surface down which the soldermay travel freely by gravity.

The two lengths of cable A A are composed each of a lead-pipe covering aand a 5o plurality of wires a', each preferably wrapped in usual mannerby a fibrous wrapper that (No model.)

may be composed either of cotton or paper or other usual material. Tojoin the wires of one length of cable to wires of another length ofcable, it is customary to cut oi the lead pipe and expose the ends ofthe wires, and thereafter the wrapping on the wires is removed and thewires are electrically united by solder or otherwise to enable thecurrent to pass through the cable of whatever length, 6o and usuallythereafter the joint is incased in lead and two wipe-joints are madebetween the said lead and the lead pipe. Herein after removing the endsof the lead Apipe back of the ends of the wires the pipe of the cable A'65 has slipped over it a hub b, shown as threaded externally, and thecable A has iirst slipped over it the running-nut c, and then the sleeveo', having iixed to one end of it by solder c2 a collar o3, havin g aninternal iiange c4, and hav- 7o ing soldered to its other end a threadedcollar d, and thereafter the hub c5, threaded externally and having atone end an outturned iiange 2, is passed over the cable A,and all theparts so slipped over the cable A are pushed back away from the ends ofthe cable to enable the Workman to solder the wires together. The wireshaving been soldered together, the joint so made must be covered andprotected,

so that water or moisture cannot get into the 8o covering of the wire,and thus destroy the effectiveness of the cable as an electricconductor. To cover the joints so made, the hub b is put intosubstantially the position that it should occupy in the completed jointand is soldered to the pipe A', as will be described. After this thesleeve c' is moved to the right into substantially the position shown inthe drawings, so that the threaded collar d at the right-hand end of thesleeve will engage the 9o exterior threads of the hub l), and in thiscondition the sleeve c is rotated, so that the threads of the collar CZmay be made to engage irmly and water-tight the threads of the hub b,the threaded parts of the collar and hub being cut to a taper, as withusual gasjoints, that they may be screwed up water and moisture tight.

To solder the outer end of the hub b to the pipe A, obviating making aWipe-joint, I have roo cut the outer end of the hub transversely to thelongitudinal axis of the hub,`so as to leave an inclined end, and solderdropped onto the pipe A at the point will run down the inclined edgesand clinging to the pipe will follow said inclined edges to the end ofthe hub and form a water and moisture tight seal between the hub and thepipe, so that neither water nor moisture can enter between the interiorof the hub and the exterior of the pipe. I find it of advantage to cutaway somewhat the interior of the outer end of the hub near its point,as represented in Fig. 2, so that as the solder travels by gravity downthe inclined edges it mayenter into the space crossing the under side ofthe pipe between the pipe and the interior of the hub. In Fig. l,

f represents the solder as it will cross the interior of the hub, thepipe being omitted.

As the collar d at the right-hand end of the sleeve c is being screwedupon the threaded part of the hub b l[he sleeve is moved longitudinallyor to the right and the inner side of the inturned ange cl of the collarc3, fast to the left-hand end of the sleeve c, meets one side of thelead packing 4 and moves said packing, causing it by its other sideacting against the outturned flange 2 of the hub c5 to draw the hub c5longitudinally over the pipe A, thus putting the hub c5 in substantiallythe position it will occupy in the completed joint. After this I runonto the end of the hub c5 the threaded nut c, securing the face of saidnut firmly against the outer end of the collar c3, causing the leadwasher to be clamped firmly at its sides between the inturned collar 4and the outturned collar 2. In this condition of the parts I applysolder to the inclined edge e of the hub c5 and secure said hub firmlyby solder to the pipe A, as described with relation to the hub b.

It will be noticed that the solder may be melted and dropped on theinclined edges of the outer ends of the hubs by unskilled labor, thusdoing away with the wipe-joint, which can be produced only by skilledlabor.

In Fig. l, e shows solder applied to the exterior of the cables tofurther unite the hubs to the cable water and moisture tight.

It will be noticed that the sides of the lead washer are clamped llrmlybetween the inturned and the outturned flanges referred to and that theperiphery of the washer lits closely the interior of the collar c3 andalso that the inner edge of the washer lits accurately the exterior ofthe hub c5, and in this condition pressure on the lead washer willprevent the same from crawling in any direction, and the joint so madeby the lead washer may be made water and moisture tight. lleretoforegreat trouble has been experienced in the use of lead as a washer,because of the crawling of the lead due to the existence of pressure forany considerable time.

The washer 4c may be composed of any usual soft metal in which leadforms a part and as used in the manufacture of packing` forsteam-joints.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A cable connection to cover a splice therein, comprisingexternally-threaded hubs embracing the lead pipes of the two cables tobe united, said hubs being soldered to said pipes, one of said hubshaving an outturned flange 2; a sleeve havinga collar at each end, oneof said collars having at its outer end a screw-thread to engage thescrew-thread of one of said hubs, and the other having at its outer endan inturned flange, apacking-ring sustained at one side by said inturnedflange, and acted upon at its other side by said outturned flange, and arunning-nut applied to the hub having the outturned flange.

2. In acable connection for lead pipes, hubs having inclined outer endssurrounding and soldered to said pipes, and a device to engage both saidhubs to prevent the separation of the lead pipes.

3. In a coupling for lead pipes, hubs having inclined outer endssurrounding and soldered to said pipes, said hubs being cut away attheir lower sides to enable solder to pass between the interior of thehubs and the exterior of the pipes, and a device to engage both saidhubs and prevent the longitudinal movement of one of said pipes withrelation to another of said pipes.

4. In a lead-covered cable connection, hubs soldered to the leadcovering of the cables to be united, a sleeve having at one end athreaded collar united by screw-threads to one of said hubs, said sleevehaving at its opposite end a collar having an inturned flange andembracing loosely the other of said hubs, a lead washer surrounding thelatter hub and interposed between the interior of the collar surroundingone end of the sleeve and between an inturned flange of said collar andan outturned flange of said hub, said washer being held snugly at bothits sides and at its outer and inner edges against crawling, and a nutto clamp said washer tightly in its operative position.

5. A connection for spliced cables comprising a hub having its outer endbeveled outwardly and soldered to the exterior of the cover of one cableback from the end thereof, and a sleeve embracing said hub and inclosingthe splicing of the wires of the cables.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES LUKE.

NVitnesses:

Gno. W. GREGORY, THOMAS J. DRUMMoN'D.

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